


missions and escorts and kisses; oh my!

by tuesdead



Category: Naruto
Genre: Adulthood, Arranged Marriages, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Decision Making, F/M, Female Uzumaki Naruto, Fluff, Getting Together, Growing Up, Humor, Mutual Pining, Near Death Experiences, Non-Graphic Violence, Oblivious Kakashi, Sasuke is kind of a jerk, Some angst, but he gets over it, discussions of duty vs happiness, discussions of family, kakashi is smitten, mentions of surrogacy, naruto tries to be seductive, so is nart, the (new) council ships it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:08:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27902002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tuesdead/pseuds/tuesdead
Summary: Naruto overhears a meeting between Sasuke and the council of elders that sets off a series of events leading to an impromptu wedding between two friends.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura & Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi & Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi/Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Neji & Uzumaki Naruto, Onesided Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 35
Kudos: 303





	missions and escorts and kisses; oh my!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sadistcutey](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sadistcutey/gifts).



> this, too has been sitting around in my drafts for awhile. i hope you all enjoy!
> 
> all mistakes are mine,,,

Naruto gazes out the window to her left and slouches in her seat, heaving a sigh. _Why, oh why, did I even bother? I should have left that idiot with Orochimaru._ The snow has been steadily falling for quite some time, now, and she shivers at the cool air that sweeps across the small tavern when the door opens.

“Alright, Naruto-chan,” she hears a moment later, and fights a smile. “What are you doing in a place like this at… three o’clock in the afternoon?”

She schools her expression and turns to her former sensei, resting her chin in her hand. “Have a seat, Kakashi-sensei, and I’ll tell you all about it. You’re about to hear the most interesting thing since we found out that Sakura and Lee were engaged.”

Kakashi blinks at her, sliding into the other side of the booth. “Okay, then, Naruto, blow me away.”

She gestures for the waitress to bring another round and gives Kakashi a smile. “Alright, my day started off completely normal, right? I woke up, I made breakfast, I stopped by the tower to speak to Tsunade-sama, and I met Sakura for lunch. However, after that, I passed Ino in the street and she looked _pissed_ , so I stopped to ask her what was wrong and it turns out Sasuke rejected her again.”

Her former sensei stares at her.

Embarrassed, she rubs the back of her neck. “Right, you don’t care, sorry. Anyway, I went to go give him a piece of my mind, right, and I had to wait on him outside of the council room, only I never actually stuck around to speak to him after what I heard.” She leans back in her seat, arms crossed. “The elders have told Sasuke that it’s time for him to produce an heir, and they want him to do everything in his power to make _me_ his mate.”

She watches some unnamed emotion slide across Kakashi’s gaze, but he takes a moment to reply. “So, the elders are plotting with Sasuke to basically make you his wife?”

“And the worst part is, Sasuke acted as if this was expected! He acted like I was the obvious choice! No _wonder_ he rejects every girl that makes a pass at him, he thinks he’s gonna get me!”

“Thinks? So, you don’t want to be with Sasuke?” He reaches for his drink.

Offended, Naruto growls. “Are you _kidding_ ? He was always like some spoiled brother to me, that’s not going to change now. Not only that, but there’s no _way_ I’m letting him put his dick anywhere near me!”

Kakashi chokes on his _sake_ and it takes him a moment to formulate a response. “And if the council had approached you about carrying on some other clan name or bloodline?”

She hums, reaching for her drink. “I don’t know, Kakashi. I mean, I’m not stupid. I know that a lot of the clans traditionalize arranged marriages and the like. And I know there are a few people that I’m comfortable enough with that if the council approached me about them and asked me to mother their offspring, I would be okay with it. But the council knows I won’t do that for Sasuke, so they want him to… trick me? Convince me?” She scoffs. “Take you, for instance. You’re thirty-nine, I’m sure the council is pestering you about producing an heir. If they asked me to contribute, and you were agreeable, I would do it in a heartbeat. The same goes for Kiba and Neji and Shikamaru, except that they’re all either married or at least dating.”

Kakashi says nothing.

“But Sasuke acts like I’m some sort of prize that he’s already won, like the fact that I spent years hunting him down means that I’m destined to be with him. That’s a load of crap! I don’t trust Sasuke at all! Sure, he’s my friend and I care about him, but there’s absolutely no way in the ten circles of hell that there will _ever_ be anything more than that.”

/

Kakashi’s day started out mediocre. He woke up before his alarm went off, Tsunade demanded he take the day off, and Gai coerced him into a competition on quoting poetry for fifteen minutes straight.

But none of that could have prepared him for the bombshell that Naruto has just dropped on him.

Oh, he’s really not surprised that the council wants her to procreate with Sasuke, nor is he all that shocked that Sasuke somehow believes he’s entitled to her. But-

_Naruto would willingly carry my child?_

Bomb. _Shell_.

“Uh, Kakashi?” A hand waves in front of his face and he automatically leans back, trapping it on the table. Then he blinks.

“Maa, I’m sorry, Naruto-chan.” He releases his grip, forcing his attention back to the present. “Say, instead of thinking about the council’s desires, think about what _you_ want. Clearly, it isn’t marrying Sasuke, like he seems to believe it is.”

Sensei’s daughter seems to frown at him. “What I want?”

_Naruto, I was aware you weren’t selfish, but apparently you think about your own happiness very little._

“Do you even want children, Naruto? And if so, do you want them to exist because the council deemed it necessary, or because you’re ready for them? Above all of that, do you really want to raise a child with a man you don’t love?”

It’s odd. Naruto doesn’t fall silent very often, especially not in public places, but this time she sits back in her seat, like she’s really thinking of his question, eyes on the table between them.

“I never thought about those things before. In the years before and during the war, the only thing I could think about was staying alive long enough to keep everybody safe. And now…”

“Now, we have peace. You have room to decide those things for yourself, Naruto.”

She shoots him a small smile. “Since I clearly don’t know, what do _you_ want, Kakashi?”

_You._

“I want only to serve my village.”

She smirks at him. “Liar. You want a kid.”

 _A child?_ He sighs, looking out the window at the snow. _I suppose you are right, Naruto. As usual._ “How do you do it? You see through everybody, don’t you?” When he turns back to look at her, she’s watching him with a peculiar look on her face. “What?”

Naruto’s smirk becomes an all out grin. “Nothing. I was just thinking you’d be a really cute dad.”

She breaks into laughter the moment he starts spluttering, but the hopeful part of him can’t help but wonder if she’s not at least a little bit serious.

/

Naruto locks the apartment door and leans against it, heaving a sigh. Still, she had a really good afternoon, despite overhearing Sasuke’s meeting with the council. And it’s really thanks to Kakashi. If he hadn’t shown up when he did, she most likely would have spiralled into a pit of dread and confusion…

 _What do I want?_ She hums to herself, moving toward her bathroom, stripping out of her uniform on the way. _Good question, Kakashi…_

Sure, she has her options. Train, become a better shinobi, become Hokage one day. Or, she could get married, raise a kid, take less missions until her child/children are old enough. Who would she even marry? Does she even want kids?!

Really, who’s to say that she’d even be a good mother, anyway? She certainly didn’t have parents growing up, and no matter how that turned out, she was forced to raise herself! She could only afford the bare minimum growing up, and because she trained so hard, she didn’t get her first period until she was fifteen! _Poor Jiraiya…_ , she thinks while she scrubs her hair clean.

Her thoughts drift back to Kakashi, as they’ve been prone to do lately. She really _does_ think he’d make a wonderful father--he hadn’t exactly been the most dedicated sensei, of course, but he’s changed a lot in the last ten years, and Naruto would love to see him raising a kid or two.

 _Of course, it would help if Kakashi actually liked people enough to want to_ be _with somebody. The only person he really seems to spend a lot of time with is me, and it’s probably because of my Dad more than anything else._

_No, that’s not fair to him. If that were the case, he would have been around more when I was little._

Naruto grumbles to herself on her way through the apartment, wrapping one towel around her body and using a second to dry her hair before she tries to pull a comb through it, working the knots out with patient fingers. She nearly jumps when she hears the knock on her front door, still lost in her thoughts, but she’s not far from the door and decides that her towel is enough of a buffer before she tugs it open.

“Naruto,” Sasuke says dully, but there’s a pinprick of attraction in his gaze that she tries really hard not to hide from.

_I should have known he’d show up so soon._

“Get out.”

One perfectly delicate brow raises at her tone. “You haven’t even let me in, idiot. You don’t even know why I’m here.”

Naruto suppresses a growl, crossing her arms. “And why are you here, Sasuke? Don’t think I don’t know what your meeting with the Elders was all about, and the answer is _no_. A solid, sincere NO.”

For most people, the lack of expression on his face would be just that, but Naruto knows Sasuke’s shock when she sees it. Whether it’s shock about her words, or shock that she knows about his meeting with the council she doesn’t know, but it’s shock either way.

“Why not?”

Naruto glares at him. “Why won’t I procreate with you? Why won’t I enter an arrangement like that with _you_ ? Because _I dragged your pasty ass back to this country and that’s_ where this relationship ends, Sasuke. You’re my friend, and I would probably do it again, but if you think I’m going to let you--”

“Fine!” His hands go up, the universal gesture for ‘I surrender’, and Naruto tries to calm herself.

“The council asked me once and I turned them down, Sasuke. I can’t do that for you.”

“Understood.” He turns on his heel, leaving the apartment building through the window in the hallway, and Naruto sags out of relief.

“That went a lot better than I was expecting.”

She yelps, turning around to find Kakashi lounging on her sofa, twirling her forgotten comb between his fingers, gloves nowhere to be found. He looks much the same as he had when she saw him in the bar, but a single breath lets her know that he’s at least had a shower since then. After indulging for a moment, she shoves that train of thought out of her head, crossing the few feet between them to slump down onto the floor in front of him.

A soft chuckle is his only response for a long time, until he finally either gets tired of the silence or decides what he wants to say.

“You’ve changed a lot in the last ten years, you know.” His hands are gentle as they comb, fingers seeking out the knots in her hair and detangling the worst of them without it, massaging her scalp between each troublesome strand. It’s a routine usually reserved for after the worst missions, a way for him to focus on something that isn’t dark and painful, and a way for her to give in to nothing but the sensation of hands in her hair, gentle and caring and no longer shaking with adrenaline. But maybe he’s been thinking too much today, too, so Naruto lets herself relax into the familiar comfort of his presence, near constant since the war.

“So have you, Kakashi,” she mumbles, feeling too relaxed, tongue loose.

“Have I?”

Naruto hums, thoughts pressing in again, and she gives into them now. “You used to hate me, for one thing, Sensei.” _Oh, why did I have to start with_ that _? Way to set the mood, Naruto!_

“That’s not true.” He says it so softly that if her ears weren't augmented by Kurama, she might not have caught it. Still, it’s nice to hear. “I lost everyone I ever loved in a matter of months, Naruto. I didn’t want to get close to you, too, only to be the one forced to kill you if the Kyuubi ever took control. At the time, it was a very real possibility. I sincerely doubt anybody but you would’ve been determined enough to break through to him and win him over.” Even when the knots are all out, Kakashi continues to comb his fingers through her hair, plaiting and unplaiting random strands here and there.

“You really think somebody as murderous and broody as Sasuke was my favorite?” he finally tacks on after a while, her hair nearly dry and tumbling over her shoulders when he pulls away.

It might take some time for the feeling to find its way back into her limbs, so Naruto doesn’t bother moving, except to lean back against his shins. “So I _was_ your favorite.”

A low hum is the only response she gets, but it’s enough.

/

Six months after Sasuke’s almost-proposal, Kakashi is summoned before the council of elders to discuss _his_ lack of an heir, and he feels just a _little_ too hostile throughout the entire conversation.

_I thought we already had this conversation five years ago._

“Hatake-san, we are aware of your previous stance on the matter; however, we request that you reevaluate your decision turning down an arranged marriage. You come from a noble, powerful clan, and it would be regretful if your bloodline followed you into death, don’t you think?”

_I hate this._

“I think it’s unfair to continue to pester your shinobi when they turn your offers down,” he points out. “There are laws in Konoha to prevent this sort of badgering. I told you no before, I won’t take part in any sort of arrangement.”

It’s uncalled for to continually back him into a corner. When has Kakashi ever resigned himself in such a way? He knows that Tsunade won’t force him into any arrangements, and there _are_ laws against it, but if they _do_ keep pestering him, he might just as well give in if only to get them off his back.

When he finally escapes from the council room, tired and grumpy and generally unhappy with the looks on their faces, he almost collides with Naruto as she leaves the Hokage’s office.

“Kakashi!” she greets, shooting him a regretful smile. “They called you in, did they?”

He hums, unable to meet her eyes. (They’d even offered her up, just like that. Like she belongs to them and they can do whatever they want with her. A person would think, after she nearly sacrificed herself to save the world, that they would consider her a hero.)

“Hey, it couldn’t have been that bad, right? You don’t have to agree with them, and no matter who they want you to reproduce with, you have every right to turn them down, every single time. Eventually, you could file for harassment.”

 _They offered you to me, and if I hadn’t been so offended on your behalf, I might have accepted._ “Maa, Naruto-chan, so protective over an old man like me.”

The blonde cackles, shoving her elbow into his ribcage. “Shut up, Bakashi, you’re not old! And you’re hardly delicate, you know.” She shoots him a look as they walk, their feet carrying them out the nearest window and out over the rooftops.

“Here for a friendly visit?” he finally decides to ask, shoving all thoughts of procreation and reproduction arrangements out of his mind with vicious force.

“No, baa-chan’s sending me on an assassination mission. Some crime lord decided to move into one of the villages along the border of Wind Country, so she asked me to take care of it--something about the guy having a powerhouse of a missing-nin in his arsenal.” Naruto’s expression melts into a softer smile and she elbows him again. “ _However_ , she did tell me that you would be going on this mission with me, so there’s no need to look so concerned.”

“Oh? She didn’t tell me anything.”

Somehow, he ends up perched on the arm of her beaten-up sofa while she packs, mildly concerned at the way she’s throwing things around, lost in her thoughts.

Eventually, she gives into his question. “Well, _actually_ , baa-chan wanted me to go with Sasuke, but when I refused she said I could pick my partner, and of course you’re the obvious choice!” She beams at him, eyes closed, oblivious to the dark turn of his thoughts.

_Of course, I was an assassin for years, why wouldn’t I be her first choice--_

“After all, if anybody’s going to be watching my back while I go on my first assassination mission, I’d want it to be you, Kakashi!” She whirls away again, showing a handful of sealing tags into the duffel on the other end of the couch.

_I’m not doing the actual assassination?_

“Hey, are you sure you’re okay?” She’s suddenly too close, hardly inches away. “Are you still thinking about that council of old fools? Look, if it’s that big of a deal, tell them you’re dating me and they’ll leave you alone!” She jumps away from him, grinning like she knows he’s half a moment away from pulling out a kunai, but-

But he _isn’t_. “Naruto…?”

He eyes her, cataloguing the level of seriousness in her expression, and scents the air. _Is she… nervous? Why would she be nervous?_

“Anyway!” She declares loudly, scratching at a whiskered cheek. “What do you want for lunch?”

He’s about to tell her that he’s not hungry and slink away to his own apartment to read or pack or any number of things ( _not_ sulking) when his body betrays him and his stomach growls.

Naruto chuckles, skipping cheerfully into her kitchen. “I’ll cook!”

/

“Are you awake?”

_Caught._

**I believe it’s safe to say that your friends are used to your antics by now.**

Naruto sighs, pushing herself up with a wince, and meets Sakura’s gaze. “I feel like Kurama’s taking his good old time to heal me for a reason.”

Sakura’s skin is a little grey from exhaustion, lips pale and hair flat. Naruto wonders how much caffeine she must have ingested to keep herself going. It’s not a healthy habit, but Naruto’s mature enough to know that mentioning it will lead nowhere--her own sodium intake should be enough to kill a regular civilian before he turns thirty-five.

“Sensei’s not much better off than you, you know. He disabled the last of the criminals easily but as far as getting you _home…_ Let’s just say that while his chakra reserves have gotten bigger over time, he still exhausted himself pretty thoroughly.” She sits forward, chewing her bottom lip while she sorts out her thoughts. _She needs sleep, or she’s going to keel over._ Finally, Sakura must decide something, because she regains a bit of clarity when their eyes meet again. “If Sensei had taken the same blow, he would be dead. He was out of it by the time he made it to the gates, so he really wasn’t much help, but it sounded to me like you took a blow meant for him.”

Naruto nods, tugging on the blanket in her lap. “A downed nuke-nin was still mobile and lunged with his katana. Kakashi wouldn’t have noticed him in time to counter the blow, and there wasn’t enough time to do anything _but_ take the blow.” _What if he’d died?_ She worries her bottom lip, shooting Sakura a glance. “Is Kakashi okay?”

The medic-nin hums, reaching behind her to slide the separating curtain open, nodding her head toward Kakashi, sound asleep.

_Hey, at least we’re in the same hospital room for once._

“He refused to be separated from you until he knew you were okay. And then he passed out. It would have been pointless to take him to another room.” Sakura sags in the chair between their beds, resting her head in her hand.

“Sakura-chan, you look like death warmed over. You need to go home and rest. Spend some time with Lee-kun. Eat something healthy,” Sakura snorts at that, “and don’t worry about us for awhile. I’m gonna be okay, and I’ll keep Kakashi company so he doesn’t try to escape when he needs to be healing.” She presses a hand against the wound in her abdomen. “You have to know your limits, right?”

Finally, her friend sighs, rising from her seat. “Okay, I give.” She shoots an icy glare at Naruto, taking a step forward. “But if I hear that either of you leaves this hospital room before you’ve been given a clean bill of health, I will _personally_ drag you back, and it will not be pretty.”

Naruto would like to say she doesn’t cower, but she most certainly hides behind her blanket until Sakura’s footsteps have stopped echoing down the hallway.

After Sakura’s gone, though, she slides to the end of her bed, a little breathless each time she moves and it makes her wound twinge. She wants to check on Kakashi for herself, leans over him to study the part of his face she can see, relieved with each intake of breath and resulting exhale.

_Of course he’s going to be okay. Bakashi, always pushing himself too far when one of us is in danger._

She knows how much he hates it when she risks her safety to protect him, but she had _known_ . Something, some instinct or sixth sense, _something_ , had told her that if he’d been cut with that sword, he would have no chance. How could she have ignored that instinct?

She’s nearly tempted, like she had been so often as a child, to slide the sheet away and really _see_ him, but that would break his trust in her, and she’s worked _so_ hard to get to this point with him. What would it say about her, to ruin everything they’ve built just for something as unimportant as his _appearance_ ? It’s not like she hasn’t seen him in a hundred states of undress as it is. They fought a war together, side-by-side, and have taken plenty of dangerous missions since, have broken apart a million times, have patched each other up when they couldn’t risk being located and were unable to call on their chakra to _heal_.

This is probably one of a handful of things she doesn’t have the privilege to. She can wait. Even if it means she waits forever, she won’t lose his trust in her.

/

The first thing he hears is the scratch of a pen on paper, followed by a careful sigh and the tapping of a foot. _Probably Naruto._ He takes a moment to assess his chakra levels and his ease of movement before deciding it’s okay to open his eyes.

“Good morning,” she hums softly. If it weren’t for his enhanced senses, he probably wouldn’t have heard her.

He doesn’t know what to say to her. She’s in a chair pulled up next to his hospital bed, but she’s still in her own hospital gown and _pale_ , which means she’s still healing, which means the wound was either very bad, or he hasn’t been asleep as long as he first suspected.

On the one hand, he wants to be mad. He wants to be angry that she took a _katana_ in the gut in his place--the last time she was stabbed like that, in the _lung_ , was at Sasuke’s hand, and she never truly recovered from the P-TSD. He wants to be angry, but he also knows that the blade had to be poisoned (a very _strong_ poison, at that) for her to not start healing immediately. And Naruto had _apologized_ , even as she was falling to her knees, sword sticking through her torso, like she felt guilty for saving him. _Because she knows I hate when she risks herself for me. Because I’m terrified that she won’t make it back._

On the other hand, he cannot deny that if their positions had been reversed, he would have done the same without hesitation. Most of the time, he can trust her not to take such a risk, but the mission had been high stress from the moment they began, and he supposes he can’t be angry with her for acting on instinct. After all, by now he understands that just because he doesn’t think he deserves to be, he is one of her precious people, and Naruto has never done any less than protect those precious to her, even at the cost of her own life.

Thankfully, they’re both still alive.

Ten years ago, he doesn’t necessarily think he felt the same. Not that he sought death, exactly. His genin team had become precious before he really wanted to accept it, and he would happily throw himself to the wolves to protect them, but he also wouldn’t have minded the eternal sleep, or what have you. He doesn’t think he would have fought so hard to stay alive ten years ago.

Except now… now he wants to survive along _side_ his teammates. His comrades. His friends.

The girl he kind of, maybe, accidentally fell in love with.

_Not that she needs to ever hear about that particular title._

“Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

Her laugh is soft, but subdued. “I’m still resting. Am I not allowed to watch you sleep?”

He hums, neither to confirm or deny. She looks tired.

“What are you writing?”

A moment passes and she sighs, resting her chin in hand. Her eyes find his and hold them, like she’s looking for something. “I didn’t know Pakkun could summon himself.”

It’s rather absurd, and Kakashi kind of wants to laugh at the fact that this is absolutely _not_ where he expected the conversation to go, but he only stares at her until she elaborates.

“Well, after I sent our mission report to baa-chan with one of the toads, Pakkun showed up and stared at me until I explained what happened. And then he left long enough to gather some of your books, and some of your paperwork, and left them here. I don’t really need to read Icha Icha again, so I figured I’d file some of your less exciting responsibilities while I was waiting on you to wake up.” She motions to the stack of folders on the rolling table beside herself and shrugs. “I sorted them by topic and urgency, and then when I got bored I started filling out some of the simpler ones. You know you have six-- _six_ \--new offers of marriage from the other Hidden Villages? Six! Just this week!”

_What the hell?_

“Why… did Pakkun bring you my paperwork?”

“Well, I suppose after the seventh time I started lamenting about how bored I was, he decided to make me useful. After all, he told me you never even bother _looking_ at the marriage proposals, let alone declining them. And I guess I didn’t realize you still get updates on Sasuke because he’s still on probation? But I promise I didn’t mess those up, okay? Other than that, you just have normal stuff, like your bills and regular adult paperwork that isn’t really related to shinobi life. Either I’m so bored that I’ve become efficient, or we’ve entered another dimension where I’m actually useful at something that isn’t beating people up--”

“Naruto--”

“--so I guess what I’m trying to say is I’m glad you’re awake.”

_I should have stayed asleep._

_…_

_No. It’s good to see her awake, even if she’s been rambling about paperwork for the last ten minutes, dear Kami._

“You didn’t accidentally marry me to anybody, did you?”

She finally cracks a real smile, dropping her pen onto the table and leaning back in the chair. “No, as often as I receive offers like that, do you really think Shizune-nee would let me respond without knowing how to turn them down?”

“A fair point. I’m not really surprised that you get a lot of proposals, although I can’t say I ever gave it any thought.” His body isn’t quite ready to support his weight if he tried to push himself up, let alone roll over, and Naruto herself looks like she’s ready to crawl back into bed. “You should try to sleep some more.”

After a handful of seconds, Naruto nods, pushing herself up with one hand pressed over her wound. “Sleep, Kakashi. Sakura threatened me with penalty of injury if either of us tries to leave without permission.” He lets his eyes slip shut when she moves, so it catches him off guard when she leans over him, free hand warm over his heart. “You know I’m reckless when it comes to you, right?”

He doesn’t reply, but he doesn’t think she expects him to, even though she knows he’s still awake. It isn’t until after she settles onto the other bed in the room that she speaks again.

“I think I know what I want, now,” she murmurs, voice already thick with sleep. “I think I actually would like a family, you know? I’ve never had one before.”

He knows, and he supposes it’s partially his fault. He would never commit treason, but he could have at least _hinted_ to her about her family.

_Ah, but those are old wounds long closed up. She isn’t blaming me, just stating a fact._

Kakashi wonders if she would let him be a part of her family.

/

Naruto is still in the hospital when the Council summons her, and because it’s a summons, Sakura has to allow her to leave. But Naruto doesn’t miss the way Kakashi’s eyes follow her on her way out, like he’s worried she’s going to disappear or something.

**Perhaps you should consider an alternative, kit. It could be the mutt is worried you’re going to accept one of those procreation offers. He’s quite taken with you.**

_Kurama… are you telling me Kakashi actually likes another human being? And that person happens to be me? How do you know?_

**Why else would a shinobi of his caliber spend two hours combing your hair? On multiple occasions?** he grouses, disdain dripping off his words.

She supposes it _is_ a little out of character. It’s not like Kakashi would ever, _ever_ sit and brush Sakura’s hair. (She can only _imagine_ if Sakura plopped down in front of him with a comb. He’d more than likely combust.)

_Oh._

**Besides, why else would his summons come to you, unless they had already accepted you into the pack as the mutt’s equal? Or bring you** **_his_ ** **paperwork, which you really have no reason to complete for him.**

Naruto hums, lost in her thoughts, but she manages to pull herself together by the time she reaches the Council Chambers. She’s never really liked how stuffy the old people are, but this time even _Tsunade_ is sitting with them, looking bored but unbothered.

“Uzumaki Naruto, you’ve been brought before this council to discuss your openness to a legacy arrangement. From what we understand, you’ve previously voiced that you are open to entering such an arrangement. Does this opinion still hold?”

She opens her mouth to speak, but something stops her. _I can’t just agree this time, can I?_ “I would have to rescind my previous statement.”

“Can you provide a reason for this repeal?” one of them asks. Naruto stopped trying to remember their names years ago. Honestly, she’s not sure how they survived the war for as much as they really _do_ anything.

“I… The possibility of a chance to start a family with the man I love has recently made itself known to me and I don’t want to jeopardize that opportunity.”

After a few beats of silence, Naruto is congratulated and dismissed. She’s starting to wonder if half of the meetings the council has for this particular assessment is just a reason for them to gossip about who’s seeing who.

“Idiot.”

Naruto hums when Sasuke falls into step beside her, holding out an arm when she begins to sway. “You aren’t healed yet, what are you doing out of the hospital?”

She pouts at him, but accepts his help all the same. “The Council summoned me.”

He is silent, leaving it up to her whether or not she tells him anything more or less. It took a long time, but Naruto can pretty much read his moods as easily as Kakashi’s. It turns out, Kakashi was actually harder to crack, at first. But then, he was more willing to let the floodgates open when she finally did break through the first few barriers.

“It seems I have their blessing to pursue the flames of my youth.”

He nearly chokes, but his steps never falter. Naruto supposes she’s thankful that even though she shut him down, he’s still one of her most loyal friends now. He won’t let her fall. “You’ve been spending far too much time with Gai-sensei.”

“I suppose you would think so, but I find Gai’s view of the world very refreshing. And it drives Kakashi absolutely insane when I start quoting the man.”

“I see.”

 _Ah. Fishing for information, Sasuke?_ She smiles. “I suppose you do.”

“You should tell him.” He leads the way to her hospital room after they enter the building, though she doesn’t remember ever having him as a visitor during their stay. Either he stopped by when she was sleeping, or he’s been creeping on them from the window. Honestly, she’s unperturbed either way.

Kakashi’s eyes track their movements after Sasuke opens the door, and Naruto has to suppress a laugh at the way his eyes narrow. It’s almost like he’s trying to burn a hole through Sasuke’s arm just by staring at it. _Kami, is he really that possessive?_

**You never noticed?**

Naruto thanks Sasuke and collects her pajamas, dragging herself into the bathroom to change so she can _sleep_. Kurama enhances her ears without prompt.

_“Aren’t you courting Ino-chan, Sasuke-kun?”_

_“I accompanied Naruto back to the hospital because she looked like she was going to fall over.”_

_“Ah.”_

_“But if you feel the need to be possessive, perhaps you should actually make a move on her.”_

Silence. Naruto slides the last button of her shirt through its hole and opens the door, practically melting onto her hospital bed. “I hope I never come across this damned poison ever again. I’m so tired and I wasn’t even gone an hour. An _hour_ , Kakashi. Is this how normal people feel all the time?” She rolls until she can see him, staring intently at her like he’s waiting for something. “Oi, why do you look so grumpy?”

“What did they ask of you?”

Naruto hums. “They asked if I was still open to legacy arrangements, and I told them I wasn’t.” She smiles at the confused look on his face. “I think they really only call me in there anymore for their gossip sessions. They gave me their blessing and everything.”

“Their… blessing?” He’s not even _holding_ his book anymore, despite the fact that it was practically glued to his face when she and Sasuke walked through the door. She almost wants to laugh, if he didn’t look so confused.

“Well, yeah. When they asked me why I couldn’t start having everybody’s kids, I maybe kind of told them that I was in love with somebody?” She tries to smile at him, but he has a dazed look in his eye and honestly, she’s too tired right now. “Ka--” she yawns, “--kashi, can I sleep now?”

He hums, hiding behind his book.

_At least that’s back to normal._

/

Naruto is still only two thirds of the way healed when Kakashi is given a clean bill of health, and no matter how much he wants to stay by her bedside and entertain her (isn’t _that_ something?), he’s received two summons from the Godaime and he’s too useful to just _not_ take missions.

“Hatake, good, we need to talk.” She steeples her fingers, leaning forward on her desk. Kakashi sits.

“Apparently, Naruto has decided that she wants to start dating.”

A moment passes and he feels the need to correct her. “I don’t think it’s that simple, Hokage-sama. From what I understand, she’s planning a long-term future.” She hums, leaning back to stare him down.

“Either way, Naruto is still naive enough to be tricked. I don’t think it would be _easy_ , per se, but I do think it’s possible for somebody to win her heart and use it against her. That’s why I called you here. It would have been simpler if we could have married her into one of the clans, if she truly showed no interest in romance, but it appears our luck on the matter has run out.”

_I don’t think everybody would agree on that point._

“I want you to be her escort. Everyone knows that Naruto is my successor, and if the wrong person gets her to fall in love with them, it could blow up in her face.”

He can understand, to an extent, the Council’s reasoning. Tsunade loves Naruto as if she were her own, and from where she’s standing, Naruto is at risk of heartbreak. Not only that, but because she’s training under Tsunade, it also puts village secrets ‘at risk’. However, Kakashi’s not blinded by protocol, and his need to protect is inherently different than Tsunade’s.

Naruto isn’t going to be manipulated. It’s unlikely she would give her heart to anyone that she doesn’t already trust implicitly, which means that the council’s concerns are a moot point.

He doesn’t say any of that, of course.

“Does this take me off the mission roster, Hokage-sama?”

“Yes. Unfortunately, Naruto isn’t fully healed yet, but that doesn’t mean she won’t be meeting with whoever this person she loves is. I’m not willing to risk her happiness or her health, and you’re the ideal choice for an escort. She trusts you without reservation, she likes your company, and you tolerate hers.”

_I think tolerance is too weak to describe how much I enjoy spending time with her. And if I choose to pursue her? What would you say, then, Hokage-sama?_

“Understood.”

After he’s dismissed, he makes his way back to the hospital, slipping soundlessly through the window to Naruto’s hospital room. He thinks she might have been sleeping, but his arrival pulls her out of her doze, blinking at him from where her nose is pressed to Pakkun’s side.

Apparently, he’s still summoning himself to keep an eye on her.

“Hey.” Naruto rubs at her eyes, pushing herself up despite the discomfort written all over her face. He hates how pale she still looks. “Is baa-chan sending you out of the village or something?” _Is she pouting at me?_

“No,” he pulls a chair up to the side of her bed, scratching behind Pakkun’s ears after he sits. “In Godaime-sama’s words, I’m to be your escort while you’re being courted. Therefore, I’m to be glued to your side until you’re in a long term relationship.”

Naruto inhales. Blinks. And then she starts _giggling_. Somehow, he doesn’t think they’re finding it humorous for the same reason. “She really has no idea how much time we spend together, does she?”

Kakashi hums, pulling out his book to hide behind.

“Although I do kind of feel bad that she’s taking you off of missions completely. Aren’t you going to get bored?”

“With you for entertainment? How could I?” He spares her a glance, mildly surprised to see her cheeks looking just a little more flushed than usual. _Is she feeling fevered?_

“I think you mean you’ll be reacquainting with _Icha Icha_ volumes one through three again,” she finally teases, eyes sparkling with mirth. She sinks back into her pillows again, one hand stroking Pakkun’s fur.

_If only you knew, silly woman._

/

“Is Kakashi-sensei going to join us?” Neji asks, glancing over her shoulder to the booth behind her where Kakashi is bent over _Icha Icha_. She knows him well enough to know that even if he is reading it studiously, he always has one ear open.

“No, I tried to tell him you wouldn’t mind but he still feels awkward about being assigned as my escort.”

He cocks his head. “But this is not a date.”

Naruto fights the urge to laugh, offering a smile instead. _Leave it to Neji._ “Of course not, but Hokage-sama specifically stated that Kakashi has to be with me during all of my outings.”

“Why not just set up an arranged marriage between the two of you and save herself the trouble?” her friend points out teasingly, giving her a small, knowing smile.

She hears the slightest hitch of breath behind her--if she didn’t have heightened senses, she wouldn’t have noticed. “Maa, Kakashi isn’t interested in arranged marriages. He turns everybody down.” The conversation moves on to other things while they eat, from missions to their friends to the next group sparring session, and Naruto is reminded that she has amazing friends in her life. She can’t help but want to wax poetic about Neji’s smile, or Hinata’s grace, Kiba’s newfound calm, and Lee’s enthusiasm. She could go on and on, but she forces herself to focus on the friend she’s spending time with instead. After everything they’ve gone through, she thinks Neji may be one of her favorite precious people (maybe even more than Sakura--but don’t tell her that).

“And how are the wedding preparations going? I’ve been meaning to ask.”

“Lady Hinata is stressing herself out about the entire thing, but I assure you that everything is going according to plan.”

 _It’s a pity that she couldn’t love Neji as much as he loves her, though. Or maybe she agreed to marry one of the other branch members_ because _she loves him._

“Well, next time you see her, let her know that I’ll do anything I can to help, okay?” They stand at the same time, sharing a brief hug while they say their goodbyes. Neji is one of the kindest souls she’s ever met. If only she had known him before the Chunin Exams, maybe she could have helped him shed his hate earlier.

“Why must you tease me so?”

Naruto turns, fighting a smile. “Tease you? I would never!” They fall in step with each other, meandering about the village without any particular destination in mind. “After all, you really _do_ turn down everybody the council throws at you, so it’s not like I made that up.” She grins. “I even offered you a way around their little demands, no?”

The man buries his face in his porn and Naruto pretends she can’t see the flush of pink along the edge of his mask.

“Besides, Kakashi, you said yourself that you don’t think I need an escort. Don’t you think it’s interesting that I haven’t gone on any real dates? I’ve hung out with a handful of friends, but none of them are interested in me, and frankly, I’m not interested in any of them.”

He glances at her from the corner of his eye, suddenly suspicious. Naruto wonders how he was labeled a genius, and then reminds herself that being intelligent, in his case, does not extend to matters of emotion. “Naruto… are you saying you lied to the council about loving somebody?”

_Bakashi…_

“Not at all,” she counters, linking arms with him. “I’m only saying that I haven’t gone on any dates with him.”

A moment passes. They walk. He says, “Are you trying to make this person jealous?”

 _Jealous…?_ “Not necessarily. Anybody who knows me knows that I treat all of my friends equally, so none of the people I’ve gone out with recently could be mistaken for anything more.” _Surely that’s a decent hint?_

“Hmm.”

 _Or not_.

/

Weeks pass in this fashion. Naruto goes on outings with all of her friends, and all of them are treated with the same level of respect and affection. And Kakashi doesn’t _get_ it. Why did she tell the council she was going to pursue the person she loves if she hasn’t done any pursuing?

And _why_ , in the name of Kami, has he been taken off the mission roster to accompany a girl who isn’t even _dating_?

On top of all that, spending so much time with her has only made it harder for him to attempt to move on, even knowing that she has her sights set on _somebody_. How is he supposed to catch a break when he spends more time in her apartment than his own, when she sticks to his side despite announcing she wants to start a life with somebody, when everyone knows he’s supposed to be her escort by now despite the fact that she isn’t actively dating anybody?

“Ne, Kakashi, we’ve been summoned before the council.”

_Seriously, now we’re even being summoned at the same time?_

It’s like the Universe is playing some big, epic joke on him. Here, fall in love with this girl who is a constant reminder of days gone by and the brightest person you’ve ever met, and then proceed to be her teacher, protector, and now _bodyguard_ while she looks for a potential mate!

Ridiculous.

“What is it this time?”

“I think they’re planning on asking me to reconsider. It would be a problem if _some_ _people_ could simply _take a hint_ , but--”

“Naruto, how do you expect somebody to pick up on your feelings if you won’t come out and tell them?”

“Actions speak louder than words, Kakashi.” She hooks her arm through his and proceeds to drag him out of his apartment before he can properly gain his bearings.

_Sometimes I swear she’s mad at me for some reason._

“Uzumaki,” Tsunade-sama is seated with the elders today, and Kakashi hopes he goes unnoticed from his station next to the door. It really makes no sense why they need both of them in the room this time. It’s been three months since he was assigned to escort her, and yet, is three months really enough time to let her reach out to whoever it is she’s so taken with? Is it not strange to bring her before the council again so soon?

They could have at least afforded her a full six months, right? That’s how long he usually gets before they bring him in again to pester him about having pups.

“As of today, you’ve had three months to pursue your romance. How is it working out?”

“I’m chasing after somebody with a thick head, Hokage-sama.”

“We have a counter-offer that you’re welcome to turn down if you still wish to pursue.” The council room is silent. Kakashi’s beginning to wonder if they aren’t all holding their breath.

“Okay, what’s your offer, Hokage-sama?” Naruto, to his amusement, doesn’t look phased.

His mirth is short-lived when Tsunade speaks again.

These people really don’t know how to stop, do they?

“The offer on the table is a marriage contract between you and the idiot pretending he’s not in the room. Hatake, get over here.”

_What?_

Kakashi sighs, standing tall and crossing to the center of the room to stand by Naruto’s side. “I don’t think that’s--”

“I accept.”

_Nani??_

“What?”

Naruto glances at him, but there’s nothing in her expression that says she’s uncomfortable, or even the least bit surprised. “Kakashi, do you accept?”

He didn’t plan for this. Why does she accept? Why is she just agreeing to marry him like it’s not a big deal? Why would she--

Is it some kind of joke?

_But she wouldn’t be cruel like that, would she?_

“Yes.” His voice is hoarse, and he can’t stop _staring_ , because, for _some_ reason, she’s marrying him. Him, Kakashi, the lazy, aloof, pervert jounin of Konoha--

_She doesn’t see you that way, baka!_

Of course she doesn’t. If she thought any of that was true, she wouldn’t be so _close_.

_Why is she so close to me?_

_“I treat all my friends equally,”_ she had said. And it’s true, it is, for all of her friends that aren’t named Kakashi. Because she doesn’t treat Kakashi the way she treats the rest. No, he gets to see the other side of Naruto--the cunning, brilliant, innovative mind, and the vulnerable heart she tries so hard to hide.

 _He’s_ the somebody with a thick head.

And by the looks of it, Tsunade, at least, has known it all along.

 _Kami, no wonder Tsunade decided I should be an_ escort _all of a sudden._

Right now, he wants nothing more than to be away from the curious gossips that make up the new council of elders, but apparently they’re signing the contract _today_ , because _why not_ , right? The rest of the meeting is mostly a blur for Kakashi, though, and it’s not until they’re dismissed that reality crashes back in and it occurs to Kakashi that he just _signed a marriage contract_ with _Sensei’s daughter!_

How? How did this happen? Is it some kind of plot? Have they been planning this? How _long_ have they been planning this?

“Ne, Kakashi, did you know baa-chan wanted us to get married?”

_Of course Naruto wasn’t part of the plan. She’s not known for being manipulative._

Either way, he decides not to say anything until they’ve locked themselves in her apartment and sat at her table with a pot of tea. From the looks of it, neither of them were expecting this particular turn out for the day, but in truth, Kakashi can’t be upset about it. He loves her.

He _loves_ her.

/

Naruto places two mugs on her kitchen table and drops into the chair across from Kakashi, wondering just what exactly is going through his mind. He’d looked pained, when the offer was first brought up, but then he had _looked_ at her. He’d been dumbfounded, but she could see the panic, could see the sudden _comprehension_.

 _Apparently, sometimes, actions decidedly do_ not _speak louder than words._

“They’ve… _offered_ you to me before. It wasn’t too long after they tried to get Sasuke to court you.” He won’t look her in the eyes. “I almost said yes; however, it seemed as though they were treating you like property and it didn’t sit well with me.”

He wants her to be blunt? Alright, she’ll be blunt. “I’ve loved you for a long time, Kakashi.” Even if she hadn’t understood her feelings at first. Or, perhaps, she hadn’t wanted to. “It wasn’t until we were in the hospital that I started to hope you might feel the same way. And I doubt I would have noticed if Kurama hadn’t hit me over the head with it. So when…” _When you told me baa-chan was making you my escort…_

“Naruto, all I really want is for you to be happy.”

She sips at her tea, studying him over the rim of her mug. Doesn’t he understand that _he_ makes her happy? _He’s_ the one she thinks of when she’s getting ready in the morning. He’s the one who makes her smile the most. He makes her feel safe, and calm, and strong. He makes her feel _valued_.

She sighs. “When you met me in the bar that day and I told you about Sasuke’s… disrespect..., I asked you what you wanted. You wouldn’t tell me, and I was forced to make something up.” In the quiet following her statement, Naruto finishes her tea and places the empty cup back down on the table, clasping her hands together instead of fidgeting like she’s prone to do.

Naruto’s just about to get up and refill her mug when Kakashi sweeps her out of her chair and presses her against the wall, leaving little space between them. “I want _you_ , you silly woman. Do you really think I would have signed a marriage contract if I didn’t want to get married?”

_Of course you wouldn’t. You always turn the council down._

_Except for today_.

“Then I really think we should get to the part where you kiss me.” Their noses bump, and then he presses his forehead against hers like a promise.

“First, Naruto, can we agree on something?” Something in his gaze pulls her mind away from his hands on her arms and his hips pressed against her stomach. _Why am I so short? What gives?_

But it’s his eyes, burning with an intensity that Naruto hasn’t seen since… maybe never, that remind her just how broken this man was once upon a time. That burning gaze reminds her that she’s the one he shows his vulnerability to, she’s the one he comes to when he doesn’t want to be alone, she’s the one he chooses time and time again.

Kakashi loves her and she’s been an idiot to beat around the bush instead of just telling him how she feels. His advice had been sound and Naruto knows she can’t give him anything less than total honesty. And she doesn’t _want_ to give him anything less than total honesty.

“Can we agree not to keep things from each other? To be honest and upfront about everything from now on?”

“Kakashi,” she breathes softly, leaning into him without breaking their gaze, “I promise that I will be honest about everything. I promise to bare my heart to you no matter what, and to always listen to what you have to say. I want a future with you and I want us to be on equal ground from here on out.”

“Silly woman,” he hums. “We _are_ on equal ground. If you had been sure of my feelings, I don’t think you would have had any qualms about being forward with your own. So, I also promise that I will always bear my heart to you, that my heart and soul are yours to do with as you please. You’re the only person I’ve ever loved this way and that will never change.”

Naruto debates on whether she should burst into tears or kiss him, but goes with the kissing despite the fact that her eyes are filling with unshed tears anyway.

“ _Silly_ woman,” he repeats when she pulls away, and then removes one hand from her waist (when did they get there?) to tug his mask down, knocking their foreheads together again.

And damn if he isn’t _pretty_. Not pretty like Sasuke--she’s pretty sure the Uchiha have some kind of contract that awards them with unprecedented good looks--, but a masculine pretty that she will never, ever tire of.

Well, nobody can ever say Naruto doesn’t eagerly kiss her husband every chance she gets. Mask or no mask, it’s something she imagines she will enjoy for the rest of her life.

“You’re staring,” he mumbles against her mouth.

“You’re worth staring at,” is a perfectly reasonable response, right?

**Author's Note:**

> ily <3


End file.
